The present application is based on German Patent Application DE 10206168.8, filed on Feb. 14, 2002, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a coupling, specifically a heavy-duty coupling, for tool holder arms of modular design, a tool holder arm with the inventive coupling, and the individual arm modules, specifically an insert tool holder, an extension, and a basic adapter, as well as a machine tool with interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
The tool holder arms of modern machine tools are generally of modular design to ensure easy configuration and reduced set-up times for economical operation. Such a tool holder arm may consist of the following individual modules: tool holder or insert tool holder head (e.g., drill chucks, milling cutter holders, collet chucks, bore heads, etc.), extension or adapter (e.g., drill rods, HSK basic shanks, drill chuck holders, arbors, etc.) and a basic adapter (ISO adapters, VDI holders, reduction sleeves, etc.). With conventional couplings, power transmission is usually performed in a frictionally engaged manner through a press-fit shaft-hub seat formed by a central journal and socket (steep cone systems, HSK systems, shrink chucks), form fitting via radial off-center drive keys meshing into the counter-piece recesses, or form fitting and tensionally locked via central journal and sockets with a profile, e.g., a polygonal profile.
Couplings with inserted drive rings are also used, containing drive keys and central journals on both sides and connecting two corresponding coupling parts or hollow shaft cone systems (VDI holders) with drive keys in addition to a cone shaft-hub seat.
Strong axial forces and high torque occur in existing manufacturing methods, such as exchangeable disk drill systems, particularly double- or multiple-cutting systems (e.g. Gühring LT 800 WP), high-speed cutting or dry cutting, where high revolution and feed with large tool diameters are used. Therefore, stress-resisting couplings meeting high stability and torsion rigidity requirements are necessary between the individual modules. Conventional couplings occasionally reach their limit during these processes.